Detective Grimoire

Lots of fun, short and sweet, very, very immersive while you're playing! I got here from playing the sequel, Tangle Tower. This is definitely a more 'condensed' experience but still very enjoyable, well thought-out (the culprit makes more sense and the mystery is more airtight!)

Detective Grimoire is a mystery game where you play as the titular detective, trying to solve a murder at a secluded tourist attraction. Boggy, the mysterious swamp creature, has been accused of murdering Richard Remington, the owner of the park, but Detective Grimoire isn't so sure. The mystery is pretty engaging. I liked uncovering the backstory of Boggy's Bog, what Remington was doing in the park, and the motives of each of the suspects. The swampy theme park and cast of suspects were odd and fun. The story was easy to follow and it was usually pretty easy to follow the detective's reasoning. There's one key clue that tells you who the culprit is, but it doesn't come up too early, and the resolution had some unexpected reveals as well.
To investigate, you explore the park, interrogate suspects, and solve small puzzles. You click on the objects in each scene and talk to the characters to gather clues. You have a case file you can use to keep track of all the information you've gathered and which objects, suspects, or areas you haven't investigated fully. Most of the puzzles involve completing sentences to move the case along. The game gives you a question and you have to make the correct answer with the sentence parts it gives you. As long as you're paying attention to what's going on, these are pretty easy. I occasionally had difficulty with finding some of the clues, but you don't need to get 100% of the clues to finish the game or solve the mystery.
Detective Grimoire is pretty good if you want a short, easy detective game. The puzzles are straightforward, the mystery is engaging, and the music and art style complement it nicely. 9/10

I played the series slightly out of order, but it did NOT disappoint. If you enjoy fun detective games, you'll love this one.

I was hesitant to try this game at first because I felt it would be hard to even come close to the beauty of Tangle Tower considering it came out 5 years before it, but I really loved it! It's simple yet interesting, the art style is different than the sequel but just as beautiful. I highly recommend playing it whether it's before or after Tangle Tower!

Not as polished as its sequel Tangle Tower, but still very charming, and dirt-cheap on sale.

It was a wonderful game (: I first played Tangle Towers and had no idea there was another game which came before - but I loved it! The voice acting was superb and the art beautiful. I loved the layout of clues, suspects and notes - makes the game much more seamless to play. I also enjoyed seeing how this game connects with the next and the overarching story that is being formed. I can't wait for the third game to be released! I recommend for any one who enjoys a good mystery (:

A pretty short and sweet VN. The visuals are nice, the voiceover is charming, and the atmosphere is appropriately mysterious. Do note, though, that this is more of a VN with detective elements than a full detective game. You have to think a little bit, but there isn't a way to fail or accuse a wrong person. All in all, it is pretty pleasant and takes just one or two evenings to finish.